Scaler (also known as Scaler Academy) is an Indian edtech company headquartered in Bengaluru, India, focused on skill training and development. The company is ranked first in Time World's Top EdTech Rising Stars of 2024.[1]

Scaler
Company typePrivate
Industry
Founded2019; 5 years ago (2019)
Founders
  • Anshuman Singh
  • Abhimanyu Saxena
Headquarters,
India
Area served
Worldwide
Increase 317 crore (US$38 million) (FY23)
Subsidiaries
  • AppliedRoots
  • Coding Elements
  • Coding Minutes
  • Pepcoding

History

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Scaler was founded in 2019 by International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad alumni Anshuman Singh and Abhimanyu Saxena.[2]

It all started in late 2014 when Saxena, who used to work at Fab.com, partnered with Singh, who had previously worked at Facebook and Directi, to start Interview Bit, a company aimed at preparing students for jobs.[3] In early 2019, Interview Bit was rechristened as Scaler Academy. It started operating like a college, offering training, mentorship, and job placement services.[3]

The company offers three upskilling courses: Scaler Academy, which focuses on software development and engineering; Scaler DSML, which covers data science and machine learning; and Scaler DevOPS, which covers DevOps and cloud computing. Majority of the courses last between 7 and 12 months[4] and also provide community hubs where students can live and work together during the one-year program.[5] As of 2023, it enrolls 30,000 students each year in its programs.[6]

In August 2022, Scaler launched an 18-month online Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science course with specializations in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.[7]

In April 2023, the company launched its undergraduate 4-year residential program under the Scaler School of Technology in affiliation with BITS Pilani.[8][9] The residential campus is based in Electronic City and in May 2024, Scaler School of Business launched an 18-month residential postgraduate business program.[10]

Funding

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As of April 2024, the company is valued at $710 million, and the company has so far raised $76.5 million from investors such as Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India), Tiger Global Management, and private equity firm Lightrock India.[11][12]

Acquisitions

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  • In February 2024, Scaler acquired Delhi-based Pepcoding.[13]
  • In March 2022, the company acquired AppliedRoots, an online learning company, for $50 million in a combined cash and stock transaction.[14]
  • In October 2021, Scaler acquired Coding Minutes for $1 million.[15]
  • In August 2021, the company acquired Coding Elements for $1 million. The company provided computer science courses covering machine learning, data science, and web and mobile app development.[16]

In media

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  • Scaler was featured in The Indian EdTech Story (Season 1, Episode 8), a 2024 documentary series on Disney+ Hotstar.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "World's Top EdTech Companies of 2024". TIME. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  2. ^ Kanujia, Anurag (May 2022). "Development of Online Course Application with Ruby on Rails framework" (PDF). Jaypee University of Information Technology. p. 6.
  3. ^ a b Chakraborty, Sayan. "These 'Job-centred Universities' Guarantee Placements". Forbes India. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  4. ^ Kapoor, Priya (2024-01-19). "Bridging the Skilling Gap". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  5. ^ Makridis, Christos (28 June 2022). "How EdTech Firms Are Bringing Higher Education To The Metaverse". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  6. ^ Banthia, Jyoti (2023-08-19). "Scaler eyes to turn profitable in FY24". Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  7. ^ "Scaler forays into higher education with Scaler Neovarsity". The Financial Express (India). 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  8. ^ Pandey, Nishtha (2023-03-29). "Bengaluru edtech startup Scaler launches computer science undergraduate course - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  9. ^ "Scaler launches four-year undergrad course". Hindu Business Line. 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  10. ^ "Scaler Diversifies Its Educational Offering, Launches Scaler School Of Business". Outlook Business & Money. 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  11. ^ Bera, Ayanti (2024-04-11). "Ed-tech startup Scaler lays off 100-150 employees". The Financial Express (India). Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  12. ^ "Edtech start-up Scaler lays off nearly 150 employees". Hindu Business Line. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  13. ^ "Scaler makes fourth acquisition in 2 years, takes over Pepcoding". Hindu Business Line. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  14. ^ Soni, Yatti (2022-03-03). "Scaler Academy acquires online learning platform AppliedRoots". Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  15. ^ Soni, Yatti (2021-10-21). "Scaler Academy acquires Coding Minutes". Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  16. ^ Makwana, Bhakti (30 August 2021). "Sequoia and Tiger Global-backed edtech startup Scaler Academy makes its first acquisition | Business Insider India". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  17. ^ "The Indian Edtech Story S1 Episode 8: Acing the game of 'Upskilling', Scaler". Disney+ Hotstar. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.